Since its inception in 1918, the Museum collection has grown seven-fold, principally through private donations, purchases, exchange with other institutions, and addition of specimens brought back by our students and staff from field trips. Most of the field acquisitions were originally collected for research and, once their scientific purpose had been fulfilled, deposited in the Museum. Such are the dozens of rare minerals from around the world contributed over the years by Petr Černư, Frank Hawthorne, Peter Laznicka and the current curators.

Specimens in this category have come from as far north as the Diavik diamond mine in the Northwest Territories to as far south as Argentina. This extended geography reflects the diversity of research interests of our "resident" mineralogists. Fruitful exchange contacts have been established with the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto and Museum of Nature in Ottawa, and with universities and research centers in France, Belgium, Russia and the Czech Republic.

Purchases and donations account for the majority of large and showy specimens (see Highlights) exhibited in the Ed Leith Cretaceous Menagerie. Many of these pieces were donated by our past and present patrons, like Peter Vanstone, Forrest and Barbara Cureton, Greg Hasler and Tony Smith. Most recently, Viktor Yakovenchuk, Viktor Grishin and Ruslan Liferovich have contributed some 30 specimens of exotic minerals from the Kola Peninsula in northwestern Russia. These minerals are so exceedingly rare that very few mineralogists will probably admit to having heard their names: delhayelite, lamprophyllite (left), shomiokite, fluorcaphite, kovdorskite, etc..

Many outstanding specimens currently on display were acquired by Professor Frank Hawthorne at the international mineral shows in Tucson (Arizona) and Denver (Colorado). These shows attract thousands of mineral enthusiasts and dealers from around the globe and offer something for every taste and pocket. Because the Museum does not have any sustained support from the government, University or other sources, we always welcome volunteers and donations of mineral specimens.

Today, the Museum collection numbers some 7,500 mineral specimens. Over 15% of these specimens are exhibited in the hallway of Wallace Building on the Fort Garry campus (125 Dysart Road). They are arranged systematically from the most chemically and structurally simple to progressively more complex.

A few dozen attractive specimens are displayed in the Ed Leith Cretaceous Menagerie, also in Wallace Building. The Museum display in the Menagerie is rotated about once a year.

In addition to the mineral specimens, the cabinets in the hallway and Menagerie contain all sorts of useful information on the chemical composition, crystallography, occurrence, and industrial applications of minerals. One purpose of these displays is to help undergraduate students catch on to the course material better. Another and equally important function is to introduce a casual visitor to the diversity and beauty of the mineral kingdom.

The outreach function of our Museum extends far beyond the provincial boundaries. For example, our exhibit on quartz took a third place in the museum competition at the 2005 Denver Mineral Show in Colorado. Do not forget to include a visit to our Museum in your itinerary the next time you are in Winnipeg! In addition to the systematic collection of minerals the Ferguson Museum is home to two thematic rock collections ("Granitic Pegmatites and their Mineral Parageneses", and "Alkaline Rocks, Kimberlites and Carbonatites") and a small collection of gems. The collection of pegmatite samples is a legacy of the renowned pegmatite researcher Petr Černư who, assisted by his many students, has put it together over the past three decades. The rock collections are used for research and, occasionally, for instruction in upper-level courses, whereas the gems exclusively for teaching Gemology. Specimens from the Museum can be (and have been on many occasions) loaned for research. In the past, some of the showy pieces even made it on the movie screen, where they were part of special effects.